The present invention relates to new erythromycin derivatives, a process for their preparation and their use as medicaments.
The invention relates to compounds of the formula (I) 
in which
R represents a radical
(CH2)mOn(X)YAr
xe2x80x83in which
m represents the number 0 or 1,
n represents the number 0 or 1,
X represents a radical (NH)a, CH2 or SO2, where a represents the number 0 or 1,
Y represents a radical (CH2)bxe2x80x94(CHxe2x95x90CH)cxe2x80x94(CH2)d, where c=O or 1 and b+c+d xe2x89xa68,
Z represents a hydrogen or halogen atom,
Ar represents an optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl radical,
R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl radical and
W represents a hydrogen atom or an acyl radical,
and their acid addition salts.
Acid addition salts which may be mentioned are the salts formed with acetic, propionic, trifluoroacetic, maleic, tartaric, methanesulphonic, benzenesulphonic or p-toluenesulphonic acid, and especially stearic, ethylsuccinic or laurysulphonic acid.
The aryl radical can be a phenyl or naphthyl radical. The substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic radical can be the thienyl, furyl, pyrrolyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl or imidazolyl radical, for example the 4-(3-pyridinyl)-1H-imidazolyl, thiadiazolyl, pyrazolyl or isopyrazolyl radical, a pyridyl, pyrimidyl, pyridazinyl or pyrazinyl radical, or an indolyl, benzofuranyl, benzothiazyl or quinolinyl radical.
These radicals can carry one or more groups chosen from the group consisting of hydroxyl radicals, halogen atoms, NO2 radicals, Cxe2x89xa1N radicals, alkyl, alkenyl or alkinyl, O-alkyl, O-alkenyl or O-alkinyl, S-alkyl, S-alkenyl or S-alkinyl and N-alkyl, N-alkenyl or N-alkinyl radicals containing up to 12 carbon atoms and optionally substituted by one or more halogen atoms, the radical, 
Ra and Rb being identical or different and representing a hydrogen atom or an alkyl radical containing up to 12 carbon atoms, the radical 
R3 representing an alkyl radical containing up to 12 carbon atoms, or an optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl radical, or carboxylic aryl, O-aryl or S-aryl or 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic aryl, O-aryl or S-aryl radicals, containing one or more heteroatoms, optionally substituted by one or more of the substituents mentioned below. Preferred heterocyclic radicals which may be mentioned are, inter alia 
and the heteroyclic radicals considered in European Patent Applications 487411, 596802, 676409 and 680967. These preferred heterocyclic radicals can be substituted by one or more functional groups.
Halogen preferably represents a fluorine, chlorine or bromine atom.
The invention particularly relates to the compounds of the formula (I) in which Z represents a hydrogen atom, those in which W represents a hydrogen atom, those in which R1 represents a methyl radical, and those in which X represents a CH2 radical.
The invention more particularly relates to the compounds in which R represents a radical (CH2)3Ar, (CH2)4Ar or (CH2)5Ar, Ar having its above meaning.
The invention especially relates to the compounds of the formula (I) in which Ar represents a radical: 
The invention very particularly relates to the compounds of the formula (I) of which the detailed preparation is given below in the experimental part.
The products of the general formula (I) have a very good antibiotic activity on Gram⊕ bacteria, such as staphylococci, streptococci and pneumococci. The compounds of the invention can therefore be used as medicaments in the treatment of infections by sensitive germs, and in particular in that of staphylococcoses, such as staphylococcal septicaemias, malignant staphylococcoses of the face or skin, pyodermatitis, septic or suppurating wounds, furuncles, anthrax, phlegmons, erysipelas and acne, staphylococcoses, such as acute primary or post-influenzal anginas, bronchopneumonia and pulmonary suppuration, streptococcoses, such as acute anginas, otitis, sinusitis and scarlet fever, and pneumococcoses, such as pneumonia and bronchitis; brucellosis, diphtheria and gonococcosis.
The products of the present invention are also active against infections caused by germs such as Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Rickettsiae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia, Legionella, Ureaplasma, Toxoplasma or germs of the genus Mycobacterium.
As medicaments, and in particular antibiotic medicaments, the present invention thus also relates to the products of the formula (I) as defined above, and to their addition salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic acids,
As medicaments, and in particular antibiotic medicaments, the invention more particularly relates to the product of example 1 and the product of example 2 as well as their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
The invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one of the medicaments defined above as the active principle.
These compositions can be administered bucally, rectally or parenterally, or locally by topical application to the skin and mucous membranes, but the preferred administration route is the buccal route. They can be solid or liquid and can be in the pharmaceutical forms usually used in human medicine, such as, for example, simple or coated tablets, capsules, granules, suppositories, injectable preparations, ointments, creams and gels; they are prepared by the usual methods. The active principle or principles can be incorporated in them with the excipients conventionally employed in these pharmaceutical compositions, such as talc, gum arabic, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, cacao butter, aqueous or non-aqueous vehicles, fatty substances of animal or plant origin, paraffin derivatives, glycols, various wetting, dispersing or emulsifying agents and preservatives.
These compositions can also be in the form of a powder for dissolving extemporaneously in a suitable vehicle, for example apyrogenic sterile water.
The dose administered can be varied according to the condition treated, the subject in question, the administration route and the product under consideration. It can be, for example, between 50 mg and 1,000 mg per day perorally, for example 300 to 900 mg in adults for the product of example 1.
The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of compounds of the formula (I), characterized in that a compound of the formula (II) 
in which R, Z and W have their above meaning, is subjected to the action of a demethylating agent to obtain a mixture of corresponding compounds of the demethylated and didemethylated formula (I), which is separated to obtain the required compound of the formula I.
The demethylated and didemethylated compounds are separated by conventional processes, for example by chromatography. The compounds of the formula (II) used as the starting substances are described in particular in European Patents 0487411, 596802, 606024, 614905 and 680967. The demethylating agent which may be used is diethyl azodicarboxylate; or iodine in the presence of sodium acetate.